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Exclusive Pic: 'Switched At Birth' Asks 'What If?'

By Jarett Wieselman 10:34 AM PDT, July 1, 2013

ABC Family

On July 8, Switched At Birth poses a very intriguing question: "What If?"

What if Regina had told the hospital about the switch when she discovered it years ago? What if both girls had been raised in the privileged Kennish household from age three? What if Daphne had a cochlear implant? What if Bay was a straight-A student? What if Kathryn and John didn't have a happy marriage?

Those are just a few of the scenarios presented in Ecce Mono and ETonline scored an exclusive photo from the episode, which the cast was beyond ecstatic to bring to life. "Oh my god, I'm so excited, I can't even handle myself," star Katie Leclerc exclaimed to ETonline. "Daphne is super different in the episode. Normally, Daphne can't wear rings because of the sign language but I had like five rings on, nine necklaces and I'm in heels -- it's so fun!" To which Vanessa Marano giggled, "Yeah, Daphne's like a freckled-face Kansas Kardashian!"

Marano, for one, was just excited she could finally talk about the episode. "There's a rule in the writer's room that no one tells me anything because I can't keep my mouth shut. So I was sneaking around trying to figure out what this mystery episode was -- and let me tell you, I was a mess throughout filming. It's just such a great episode. You get so comfortable playing a character after three years, so playing them with a new twist is amazing. They're all so different -- especially Bay. There are a lot of physical changes. I look very different in this episode."

Playing a slightly skewed version of a familiar character is something star Lea Thomson is very comfortable with. "It's kind of like what I did in Back to the Future, where I played the same person in all these different ways," she told ETonline. Constance Marie, meanwhile, hopes the episode alleviates some of the ill-will fans feel for Regina. "I'm excited because my character has taken so much heat for not telling anyone about the switch," she adds. "I feel like Regina's gotten such a bum rap, so this episode gives her some momentary vindication."

John remains unchanged by the episode as D.W. Moffett reveals it's his character that experiences this alternate reality as the result of a shocking moment in tonight's all-new episode. But he, like the rest of the cast, agrees that Daphne is most changed by the events leading up to this What If?

"Fringe is one of my favorite shows and this episode is like us living in a Fringe universe," Leclerc says. "It's been exciting to explore this new-ness with someone you've come to know so well over the last few years. Creating this character, with a little bit of Daphne but not a lot, has been the funnest ever."